A look back in search of a path forward....
Dec 30, 2016 15:52:52 GMT -5
sky, Tony, and 12 more like this
Post by greenblood on Dec 30, 2016 15:52:52 GMT -5
At the risk of being lambasted here again, I took a break today from writing my book and I'm going to bring up what I think is somewhat of a white elephant.
In my opinion, our greatest loss is the mentality of the Siena Family and Tradition of Siena Basketball.
This isn't the first time, but with each downturn, the tide becomes more difficult to turn. I see similarities in each of the failed coaching regimes on which I base this hypothesis.
Through the years (44 of them to be precise), I have observed:
Picture it, Loudonville- 1972; Kirsch had no small task in setting the foundation and charting the course of a vision for the program after what some have described as a 20 year drought from the Billy Harrell years. In Laura Amato’s piece in the Troy Record as Kirsch was inducted in the Upstate NY Basketball Hall of Fame, she wrote
“No matter what level his team was competing at, Kirsch’s expectations for his players were unchanging. He believed he had the best roster in the league and he expected it to play that way; no matter who the opponent was.
Anything else was unacceptable.”
While Deane was known for his partying, the old-boys ‘Coaches Club’ evoked a sense of family and was steeped in tradition; not to mention the guy could flat out coach so the ‘extras’ were well protected. His teams were expected to complete in every game; anything else was unacceptable.
Enter Beyer…..a mentor and role model? Enough said.
Hewitt- a family man with a strong work ethic that he instilled in his team resulting in a 66-27 record over his three years here. As Steve Amedio so aptly wrote about Paul in an article at the beginning of the 2015 season “He came in with, he said, a blueprint not just for coaching, but for running a program and for ensuring the “student” aspect was the most-important part of the student-athlete equation.” He valued hard work and a sense of team unity; anything else was unacceptable.
Lou Orr then makes a cameo appearance on the sidelines for one season and faster than the speed of light he bolts town with little adieu as the players really didn’t know him.
Lanier is the roll of the dice that in my humble opinion, was ill timed. He didn’t know what he didn’t know when it came to dealing with the aftermath of ‘Hurricane Orr’ and the idea that the Siena Basketball Team belonged to a special family that always look out for each other was fractured to pieces by his last year as he believed that the way to fix all that ailed them was fixable through psychoanalysis and mind games. It was his major and what he knew outside of basketball. He has since evolved as a coach, husband and father.
McCaffery- blessing or curse? Calculated masterful coach or luckiest guy on the face of the earth striking lightening in a bottle with ‘under the radar’ recruits. You decide. But I can tell you for sure that in his first year here, his businesslike approach demonstrated that he was a master of smoke and mirrors who managed to start momentum by using the Lanier leftovers and turning it into a buffet that left the Siena faithful wanting more. The media frenzy was almost always handled in a professional manner (sans those few cracked clipboard episodes). No one ever has recognized the biggest intangible that he brought to the table…his family, most notably his wife Margaret. The consummate head coaches spouse. Undeniably, every member of the team during the time they spend here became a part of their family. Of even greater significance is that they became part of our family. Some may say that was because of the ‘wins’. I believe the wins were the result of the work ethic, philosophy, businesslike approach and the support and responsibility of being in a family. It was an entire package that had Hasbrouck, Moore, Franklin and company firing on all cylinders. Oh yeah, and those cracked clipboards got that way because any deviation from the planned course was unacceptable.
Buonaguro- ignoring a past performance record at the position of Head Coach in the league, the College goes ‘all in’ on a good man who is respected as one of the best in film breakdown, scouting and game planning. Media personality? Nope. Bad poker player. The landscape of the game is changing and we stop running and revert to half court boring basketball. The assistants end up at each other’s throats in frustration and recruiting is in the crapper by the end of his tenure. Notably, unlike his predecessor, there was little to no involvement in any family activity outside of basketball.
Patsos- the past performance record at the position of Head Coach in the league is once again ignored. Hard to believe considering the AD is an avid horse racing follower, but hey, the UA money train rolled in, the celebrities rolled in for guest appearances at the TUC and away games, and the hype was at an all-time high before the first ball was tossed up in 2013. The ‘persona’ is distracting from the action on the hardwood but keen eyes can see the lack of substance, discipline and a businesslike approach is a prescription for a departure from the core values that built the Family and Tradition that is Siena basketball. Departures at the end of each season are met with ‘we didn’t need him anyway’, ‘he was a cancer’ or ‘he was lazy and didn’t want to work’. This is said of both players and assistant coaches who have passed through town in this tenure. Is it any wonder that there is no sense of family or unity?
I still contend that it is possible to have a successful program built on the foundation of Siena Family and Tradition ensuring that the ‘student’ is the most important part of the student athlete. It was and is still a viable plan to compete and win. That, in my humble opinion is what we can offer that other programs can’t. We are small, we are tight knit, we are community oriented, and yes, even in our debates on this message board we have passion. We are not built on concrete and stone, but on people, their character and their will. Anything else is unacceptable.
In my opinion, our greatest loss is the mentality of the Siena Family and Tradition of Siena Basketball.
This isn't the first time, but with each downturn, the tide becomes more difficult to turn. I see similarities in each of the failed coaching regimes on which I base this hypothesis.
Through the years (44 of them to be precise), I have observed:
Picture it, Loudonville- 1972; Kirsch had no small task in setting the foundation and charting the course of a vision for the program after what some have described as a 20 year drought from the Billy Harrell years. In Laura Amato’s piece in the Troy Record as Kirsch was inducted in the Upstate NY Basketball Hall of Fame, she wrote
“No matter what level his team was competing at, Kirsch’s expectations for his players were unchanging. He believed he had the best roster in the league and he expected it to play that way; no matter who the opponent was.
Anything else was unacceptable.”
While Deane was known for his partying, the old-boys ‘Coaches Club’ evoked a sense of family and was steeped in tradition; not to mention the guy could flat out coach so the ‘extras’ were well protected. His teams were expected to complete in every game; anything else was unacceptable.
Enter Beyer…..a mentor and role model? Enough said.
Hewitt- a family man with a strong work ethic that he instilled in his team resulting in a 66-27 record over his three years here. As Steve Amedio so aptly wrote about Paul in an article at the beginning of the 2015 season “He came in with, he said, a blueprint not just for coaching, but for running a program and for ensuring the “student” aspect was the most-important part of the student-athlete equation.” He valued hard work and a sense of team unity; anything else was unacceptable.
Lou Orr then makes a cameo appearance on the sidelines for one season and faster than the speed of light he bolts town with little adieu as the players really didn’t know him.
Lanier is the roll of the dice that in my humble opinion, was ill timed. He didn’t know what he didn’t know when it came to dealing with the aftermath of ‘Hurricane Orr’ and the idea that the Siena Basketball Team belonged to a special family that always look out for each other was fractured to pieces by his last year as he believed that the way to fix all that ailed them was fixable through psychoanalysis and mind games. It was his major and what he knew outside of basketball. He has since evolved as a coach, husband and father.
McCaffery- blessing or curse? Calculated masterful coach or luckiest guy on the face of the earth striking lightening in a bottle with ‘under the radar’ recruits. You decide. But I can tell you for sure that in his first year here, his businesslike approach demonstrated that he was a master of smoke and mirrors who managed to start momentum by using the Lanier leftovers and turning it into a buffet that left the Siena faithful wanting more. The media frenzy was almost always handled in a professional manner (sans those few cracked clipboard episodes). No one ever has recognized the biggest intangible that he brought to the table…his family, most notably his wife Margaret. The consummate head coaches spouse. Undeniably, every member of the team during the time they spend here became a part of their family. Of even greater significance is that they became part of our family. Some may say that was because of the ‘wins’. I believe the wins were the result of the work ethic, philosophy, businesslike approach and the support and responsibility of being in a family. It was an entire package that had Hasbrouck, Moore, Franklin and company firing on all cylinders. Oh yeah, and those cracked clipboards got that way because any deviation from the planned course was unacceptable.
Buonaguro- ignoring a past performance record at the position of Head Coach in the league, the College goes ‘all in’ on a good man who is respected as one of the best in film breakdown, scouting and game planning. Media personality? Nope. Bad poker player. The landscape of the game is changing and we stop running and revert to half court boring basketball. The assistants end up at each other’s throats in frustration and recruiting is in the crapper by the end of his tenure. Notably, unlike his predecessor, there was little to no involvement in any family activity outside of basketball.
Patsos- the past performance record at the position of Head Coach in the league is once again ignored. Hard to believe considering the AD is an avid horse racing follower, but hey, the UA money train rolled in, the celebrities rolled in for guest appearances at the TUC and away games, and the hype was at an all-time high before the first ball was tossed up in 2013. The ‘persona’ is distracting from the action on the hardwood but keen eyes can see the lack of substance, discipline and a businesslike approach is a prescription for a departure from the core values that built the Family and Tradition that is Siena basketball. Departures at the end of each season are met with ‘we didn’t need him anyway’, ‘he was a cancer’ or ‘he was lazy and didn’t want to work’. This is said of both players and assistant coaches who have passed through town in this tenure. Is it any wonder that there is no sense of family or unity?
I still contend that it is possible to have a successful program built on the foundation of Siena Family and Tradition ensuring that the ‘student’ is the most important part of the student athlete. It was and is still a viable plan to compete and win. That, in my humble opinion is what we can offer that other programs can’t. We are small, we are tight knit, we are community oriented, and yes, even in our debates on this message board we have passion. We are not built on concrete and stone, but on people, their character and their will. Anything else is unacceptable.